The Prince of Erebor
by Anonymonimus
Summary: King Thror sees Dis' newborn as a curse to the line or Durin and orders his death, however Thorin won't allow it and escapes with Kili. He brings the babe to the West where he is found by a Hobbit lass and raised as one of their own until the day where Thorin returns to him and wishes to bring him home. But Kili isn't particularly keen on it and neither is his brother Bilbo.
1. The Exile

**PROMPT FILL: "_After Kili is born it is clear that he is not the average dwarf._  
><em>Thror in his madness is convinced that this small, hairless, sickly baby is a curse upon the house of Durin and orders him to be killed.<em>**

**_Thorin and Dis obviously will not stand for this and smuggle little baby Kili out of the kingdom and have him taken as far away from Erebor as possible, to the Shire._**

**_There they find two hobbits who are willing to take in this poor child and raise him as their own to save his life, Belladonna and Bungo._**

**_Kili grows up with Bilbo and other hobbits and is shocked as Bilbo when a group of dwarves shows up on their doorstep one night._**

**_He has never seen other dwarves before_."**

**So, to the prompter from the kink meme, I hope I delivered this partial fill XP**

**I'll add another chapter or whatever if people like this :DD**

**So please review and fav if you want more!**

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><p>Life in Erebor had become drastically different when Thrór had refused Thranduil, the Elvenking, the precious gems had been promised. Slamming the chest of star-like crystals was a humiliation someone as proud as the neighbouring King wouldn't take too kindly to. Thorin had been present then and had noticed madness erupt in his grandfather's eyes. His heart swelled with fear and he looked on helplessly as the King laughed and mocked the close bond he once shared with one of their most precious allies.<p>

From then on the peaceful monarchy which governed the Lonely Mountain became a ruling akin to tyranny. The people were starved, abused and mercilessly exploited all to fuel Thrór's seemingly spontaneous possessive obsession in regards to the hoard of gold and gems lying in the great vault of Erebor. Thorin had seen his grandfather dance in the midst of immeasurable wealth and laugh manically in glee as he cheered: "Mine! All mine!"

He had backed away from the sight grimly and retreated to his brother and sister who were his joy and sanctuary. Dís and Frerin were none the wiser to Thrór's degrading sanity and thus were always the joyous mischievous siblings with whom he had always gone on crazy and troublesome adventures as lads. Though they had grown and were fully fledged adult Dwarves, their childish ways had remained. Thorin hadn't been bothered by it until Thrór had succumbed to madness. So far, the King hadn't laid a finger against his family and so he knew his beloved brother and sister to be safe however, Thorin could nary predict for how long.

The end of Thrór's tolerance to his family ended when Dís gave birth to her second child much later. Unlike the first, who's only peculiar feature was his golden mane, the newborn prince was as hairless as a human babe and as sickly and bony as the runt of a litter. Typically, Dwarf babies were rather hairy and Thrór immediately considered the boy to be a curse set upon the line of Durin. It had taken long hours of convincing on the part of medics and healers to convince Thrór that the hairlessness was temporary and he would soon resemble any other Dwarf infant.

But the boy remained hairless and scrawny.

And Thrór's wrath grew.

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><p>"Brother!" Frerin called from the opposite end of the hall, running towards Thorin.<p>

Thorin paused and waited for his brother to join his side, "What is it Frerin?" He asked, "Grandfather has summoned the court and I don't have much time to spare for you at the moment."

"It's exactly about that I want to talk about." Frerin said breathlessly as he leaned against his knees and attempted to stable his hitched breath.

"What do you mean?" Thorin continued quizzically.

"I heard rumours about the subject of the meeting." Frerin explained, "It's about Kíli, Dís' second born."

"I know his name." Thorin dismissed sharply, "But why on earth would the King summon an unexpected meeting about that child? He's barely three months old."

Frerin frowned, "Don't you remember Grandfather's reaction upon seeing him?" he reminded, "He called Kíli a curse and a spawn of evil. He wanted to kill him because he was hairless and sickly."

"Aye, I remember." Thorin nodded grimly.

"You've visited Dís at the nursery more than I," Frerin continued, "You've held her boy more than anyone and so you should know that his condition has barely progressed positively since his birth. He still resembles a small, skeletal human baby."

"Do not insult him." Thorin snapped immediately.

"I'm not." Frerin defended quickly, "I'm stating facts. Anyways, I've heard that Grandfather wishes to discuss young Kíli's fate. We have to get him out of Erebor and far away from his madness."

"Don't speak ill of the King." Thorin warned grimly while looking about for any curious ears who may have heard him, "You know what he does to those who contest his decisions and insult his person."

"You're like a pawn in his hand!" Frerin snapped, "I won't hold my tongue anymore because the truth needs to be spoken! If Kíli really is the subject of the meeting today, you need to protect him and convince Grandfather to spare his life!"

"I understand your fear, brother," Thorin said calmly, "But I doubt there will be the slightest mention of Kíli."

"Even so," Frerin insisted, "Promise you'll protect him! Promise you'll lay your life on the line for him!"

"You're so dramatic." Thorin dismissed, "I have a meeting to attend to."

Thus Thorin left his brother behind and marched to the meeting room where he awkwardly found himself the last to be seated. Thrór watched him with a severe glare and remained fixated on his grandson for a long while. Thorin shifted uncomfortably in his seat and eventually timidly apologized for his tardiness thus cueing the meeting to commence.

"You must all wonder why I've gathered you so suddenly." Thrór began, "A curse has been placed upon my lineage and I wish to deal with it."

Thorin froze and stiffened as he felt his grandfather's eyes return to him.

"My granddaughter, princess Dís," Thrór continued slowly, "Has birthed a most foul creature which surely represents the doom of Durin's blood. Unfortunately, she and her brother, Frerin, fail to see the threat he poses to us and so I've gathered you all to discuss the manner with which we shall deal with the wretched babe."

Thorin's heart pounded like a hammer against his chest as he struggled to remain composed beneath his grandfather's suspicious glare.

"I can count on your help, can I not?" he added testily, "_All_ of you?"

"Of course." All but Thorin answered.

Thorin contented himself of nodding shortly.

"I don't see why we shouldn't just take him from his mother and slit his throat elsewhere." Lord Silverbeard suggested, "There's no reason she should see the deed accomplished."

"But she fails to understand the threat the hairless rodent poses to the King and his family," Stated Lord Obsidian, "Perhaps it would be better to have her witness the death alongside prince Frerin who also contests the apparent curse."

"I say we have her end his life herself!" Declared Lord Goldeneye.

"I fail to see why a three month old babe is as frightening as a Goblin king or Orc leader." Thorin objected sharply, glaring at the three Lords who had dared to suggest such horrid ideas.

"Perhaps he is harmless now," Lord Silverbeard granted, "But the child will grow and learn to wield a sword or axe one day and then you will regret not having killed him when you had the chance."

"If we raise him properly and carefully," Thorin stated, "With good values such as loyalty and family, I do believe he will be nothing more than an asset to the kingdom. We can control him."

"You fool!" Thrór snapped, "How do you expect to control a curse when you are not its caster? Why trying to control that abomination is as pointless as trying to reason with a dragon!"

"He is no curse nor dragon!" Thorin objected.

"Do you also challenge the truth!?" Thrór roared as he rose from his seat in a fit of fury, "Do you wish to blind yourself to the blatant reality as your brother and sister have!? Do not expect to become King one day when you can't perceive a demon wearing the skin of a babe!"

Thorin glared at the King but held his tongue for no good would come from the pointless debate. He merely shrunk back into his seat and waited for the meeting to be over. Slowly, Thrór sat down and continued to discuss with the other Lords the manner with which Kíli would be killed and whether Dís and Frerin would be forced to watch.

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><p>When the meeting finished, Thorin wasted no time in running to the nursery to find Dís. She sat comfortably on her bed, polishing a rune she had carved for her youngest while Fíli held his brother and sang to him softly. The sight was of the most serene and adoring but Thorin was forced to break as time was of the essence.<p>

"We don't have much time." Thorin declared, barging into the room, "I need to take Kíli and leave."

"What!? Why!?" Dís objected immediately.

"Thrór has gone completely mad and wishes to kill him." Thorin explained quickly as he gathered things he would need for Kíli on his hastily planned trip, "I'm going to take him somewhere safe where Thrór won't be able to touch him. I'll find him a loving family who will take good care of him, I swear."

"B-but if Grandfather finds out, he'll kill you!" Dís declared.

"It's not a question of _if_, sister, but _when_." Thorin smiled sadly, "But I'm willing to put my life on the line if it means giving your boy the chance of living."

Dís stared at her brother in dismay as she watched him speechlessly gather supplies needed for Kíli and struggled to find words to express, well, anything. Fíli alternated glances between his mother and uncle as he clung to his younger brother tightly.

"Thorin…I can't let you—"

"Listen to me, Dís," Thorin said seriously as he threw a bag over his shoulder and marched towards her bed, "If you love that boy you'll let me do what's best for him. I'll bring him far to the West and tell the family to come find you when Thrór has died. If I'm somehow alive by then, I'll fetch him myself but nonetheless I promise you will one day be reunited."

Dís finally broke into sods and reached Kíli. Fíli reluctantly gave his brother to his mother and watched in confusion as she buried him with kisses and held him tightly. Thorin could feel his heart break at the sight of it and loathed what their life had come to. It was a regrettable outcome but it was necessary for Kíli's preservation.

"Dís…" Thorin said softly, "I need to leave now…"

She nodded and passed her boy to Fíli, "Fíli, love," she said to him, "Kiss your brother goodbye. You won't see him again for a long while."

Fíli began to tear up, "Kee." He sobbed, having barely learned any words to express himself adequately. He held onto his brother tightly and kissed his forehead before hugging him and handing him over to Thorin.

Thorin looked at the two sadly. Fíli had retreated into his mother's arms and cried with her, refusing to look at his uncle while Dís did her best to hush him and explain that what was happening was for the best. Before he left, Dís handed him the turquoise rune she had made for Kíli which he had put in his pocket in haste. Thorin wordlessly tucked Kíli into the carrier he had strapped to his chest and whispered: "I'll be back soon…" as he left the room and marched down the hall quickly.

One of his hands rested upon Kíli's small back as he slept soundly against his chest and snored ever so lightly. Thorin jogged around the palace, quick to gather food and additional supplies before making his way to the stables where he met Frerin.

"What are you doing?" he asked as he finished saddling a pony.

"I could ask you the same thing." Thorin returned.

"Well I'm going to bring Kíli somewhere safe." Frerin stated, "Don't try to stop me!"

"I won't." Thorin assured, "But I need your pony."

"What? Why?" Frerin questioned as Thorin immediately attached the basket filled with food to the saddle.

"Because I need to leave quickly." He explained and gestured to Kíli, strapped to his chest for further explanation.

Frerin nodded, "I'll try to stall the others when they realize what's happened." Frerin assured. "They'll obviously send soldiers after you."

"Thank you." Thorin nodded as he got on the pony.

"Be safe." Frerin said.

Thus Thorin galloped out of the stables and into the openness of the world that lied beyond the Lonely Mountain. He startled a few passing Dwarves as he rushed by and nearly trampled one but his mind was concentrated elsewhere. He looked down at Kíli who still slept against his chest, regardless of the sobs and rushed movements he had been subjected to earlier, he still slumbered peacefully.

And so Thorin rode day and night for three days, barely stopping before finally taking the time to rest up properly. He finally allowed himself to eat correctly and take better care of Kíli who had only gotten the minimum of food and milk since their departure. By then they had made it to the border of the woodland realm and were in the process of circling it before continuing west.

It had taken nearly two weeks before the soldiers Thrór inevitably sent after him caught up. Thorin was scaling the Misty Mountains by then, taking his time as to not fall to his doom and care for the baby as much as he could. However, the hoard that was sent after him had scarcely taken in consideration the danger of the mountain path and continued full speed.

The first warning of their approach Thorin had gotten was an arrow that nearly pierced his skull. He wasted no further time on caution and rushed the rest of the path away, almost falling off thrice. Once in plain land, Thorin pushed the limits of his pony and attempted to lose his pursuers in the thick forest he had rushed in, but to no avail.

Finally, his pony was struck down by a well-aimed arrow. Thorin was flung from the beast and smashed against a tree but somehow managed to shelter Kíli from the blow. He quickly gathered his wits and took the basket of food in hand as he continued on foot, determined to get the babe out of harm's way but he felt that his time was rapidly approaching to an end.

He finally made it to a large river which blocked his way and was far too deep for him to cross without risking drowning the baby or himself. He cursed and was about to draw his sword when an idea came to him. He dumped the contents of the basket and placed Kíli into it, tucking the rune Dís had made next to him before kissing his forehead and saying his final words.

"This may be the last time I see you, Kíli," he said softly as he marched into the cold water, Kíli giggling and staring at him with playful eyes, "Though you may never meet your real family, know what you were loved. I hope this river brings you to happiness and that, one day, it may return you to your home."

Kíli fell asleep as Thorin put the lid on the basket and pushed it into the current which dragged it away. Moments later, the soldiers pointed their spears and swords at him and demanded he step out of the water and deliver the baby lest he wished to face the consequences of the King. Thorin glanced back at the river that had carried Kíli away one last time and faced the soldiers.

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><p>The river snaked through the thick forest and eventually found its way to the side of a path traveled by a Grey Wizard and a peculiar little creature resembling an Elf and Dwarf. She had been brought on an adventure like many others of her family and returned to her home a changed woman, glum and thoughtful of the events of her journey. Suddenly, the cries of a baby reached her ears and she looked at the river where she saw a basket floating.<p>

She stopped her pony and hopped off, running for it and alerting her companion who had also been dabbling in his thoughts up to that point. "Belladonna?" He asked, "What are you doing? Where are you going?"

However, she didn't answer as she dove into the river and brought the basket to a shallow end where she sat and opened its content. By then the wizard was by her side, looming above with just as much curiosity.

"It's…" she started as she took off the lid, "A…baby…"

"How curious…" the wizard commented.

"I heard him crying…" Belladonna said and looked at her companion, "Was he abandoned?"

"It seems like it." He said gruffly but then noticed something beneath the baby, "Hold on…" he reached down and grabbed a hold of the rune and studied it quizzically.

"What is it, Gandalf?" Belladonna asked.

"It's a Dwarfish rune," Gandalf said, "How curious, this stone is found far to the East."

"Why does he have that with him?" She asked taking the child.

"It is tradition for a Dwarf mother to carve a rune with her child's name and hand it to it." Gandalf explained, "This one's name is Kíli and it seems he was not abandoned but rather exiled."

"Why? How can you tell?" Belladonna continued, rocking the crying babe.

"I don't know." Gandalf mused, "However, if the child was unloved, he wouldn't have a rune with him."

"Should we return him?" Belladonna suggested.

"I don't think it wise, especially if he was indeed exiled." Gandalf stated. "Returning him could mean his death."

"Then I'll take care of him." Belladonna declared, rising to her feet and taking the basket with her.

"Taking care of a Dwarf baby is no easy task." Gandalf warned, "Perhaps I should bring him to others more suited for the task. You're barely an adult."

"I don't care." Belladonna said, "I found him so I'll take care of him!"

And so she marched on as the wizard stared at her with an amused smile, "This adventure has indeed changed you, Belladonna," Gandalf said, almost to himself, "And it seems that your adventure isn't exactly finished now."

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><p><strong>I feel the need to say that I was going for a The Prince of Egypt (by Dreamworks) feel which is why Thorin pushed Kili away in a river at the end XD Also explains the title .<br>**


	2. 75 Years Later

**I know I said this chapter would be out a few days ago and everything BUT IT WASN'T MY FAULT!**

**Essentially what happened was that I decided it was finally time (three years later) to play Dragon Age II and...I...sorta got really obsessed and it was the only thing I could do until I finally beat the game yesterday.**

**Honestly, I liked the game but I feel like there was that "One decision" the one where no matter what you choose it'll feel wrong and there's just no right option and the outcome is really sad and whatnot and you feel powerless because "WHHYYYY?". For those who played or have watched a letsplay of the Walking Dead video game (the good one, not the bad one about Darryl), I wanted that "one decision" you make at the end of episode 5, the VERY last decision you make involving the fate of someone we all adored from the beginning.**

**But enough rambling about that "one decision" and sorta spoiling the Walking Dead video game for those who haven't played it.**

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><p><strong>SO BEFORE WE GET STARTED HERE'S A LITTLE LEGEND ON THE AGES AND EVERYTHING SO NO ONE IS CONFUSED AND EVERYONE UNDERSTANDS:<strong>

**Humans - 80**

**Dwarves - 350 (Kili)**

**Hobbits - 100 (Belladonna and Bilbo)**

**Belladonna found Kili when she was 33 (26 in human years). She had Bilbo at the late age of 58 (46 in human years) when Kili was 25 (5 in human years).**

**This chapter is taking place 75 years later which makes Kili 75 (17 in human years) and Bilbo 50 (40 in human years). Belladonna would be 108 (86 in human years) but she died 8 years ago (making her 80 in human years).**

***NOTE: The actual lifespan of these beings is under debate (I.E. people claim Hobbits live up 80 as well as Dwarves live up to 250) so I'm going with these numbers.**

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><p><strong>AND NOW ENJOY!<strong>

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><p>Kíli awoke to the smell of frying bacon and freshly baked bread. Though the scent was indeed heavenly, the hangover from which he suffered made the smell hopelessly nauseating and stomach churning. Before long he felt what contents were left in his belly ready to evacuate and he desperately searched around his room for a bucket. Thankfully, his brother had thought of it and he grasp hold of it just in time.<p>

When he was done vomiting, he quickly threw the puke out the window and onto the plants bellow before making way to the lavatory to clean himself and rinse his mouth. It seemed that his brother had also anticipated the nasty headache and had placed medicine next to the sink for him. Kíli smiled at his thoughtfulness and downed the medicine with a glass of water. He waited a few short moments for it to take effect and then wandered to the kitchen where his brother was busy preparing breakfast.

"Smells lovely." He commented as his eyes scanned the table hungrily. There were freshly baked scones, fruits and vegetables fresh from the garden cut and prepared with a dip which had also recently been made, countless cheeses, a jug of milk and water and two plates with utensils.

Kíli couldn't help it, he reached for one of the hot scones and – "Don't!" His pointy-eared brother objected sharply, promptly slapping his hand away from the food, "I'm not done yet!"

"Oh come on Bilbo!" Kíli complained, "I'm starving!"

"No!" Bilbo refused again and returned to cooking, "You'll wait and, before eating, you'll clean the basin you dirtied a few moments ago!"

Kíli pouted and seated himself on a chair rather than comply, "You're so touchy." He mumbled, "Is it because of what happened yesterday?"

"I don't know what you're talking about!" Bilbo declared dryly.

Kíli paused and stared at his back as he worked more avidly on properly cooking the bacon, preparing a salad and checking the loaf of bread he was baking. He smiled lightly, "So it is." He concluded and his suspicion was confirmed when Bilbo flinched, "You know…" he continued, "Whatever or whoever I discover, you'll always be my brother."

Bilbo removed the frying pan from the stove and took the bread out of the oven quickly before facing Kíli with an exasperated expression. "But why do you have to leave?" He asked, "Mother said your parents sent you away to save you! If you return to your roots you'll surely be killed and their sacrifice will be for naught! Stay in the Shire where it's safe! Stay with me!"

Kíli stared at Bilbo with a stunned expression. Rarely had he ever seen his brother so riled up and so red in the face. His fists were clenched so tightly his knuckles turned white and Kíli understood that Bilbo wouldn't easily accept his decision. "I want to know where I'm from." Kíli explained softly. "You've always had the answers of your origins. You know the culture of your people, your history and everything whereas I only know vaguely the story of Dwarves from what Mother told us. I want to know more. I want to know who I was supposed to be, who my parents were, if they're still alive, if I have a brother or a sister or both, and why they exiled me. I can't do that by staying here."

"You have a brother." Bilbo insisted, his voice choked as his eyes watered. He was never good at containing his emotions, "You're staring right at him."

"Bilbo…" Kíli tried but Bilbo promptly turned away, most likely in a feeble attempt to hide his tears. He paused for a moment and smiled softly, "Hamfast told me what you were worried about." He waited for a moment before finishing. "I promise I'll come back."

"How…" Bilbo choked. He swallowed loudly and wiped his tears away quickly before facing his brother, "How can you promise that when you don't know what you'll find and what dangers you'll face? How do you know you won't die? How do you know you'll want to leave what you've found?"

"I don't know." Kíli admitted, "But I promised."

Bilbo opened his mouth to say something but quickly closed it, abandoning the argument there. Kíli sighed, relaxing at his victory and patiently waited for Bilbo to finish everything and meet him at the dinner table. Normally he would have blabbed absently but the situation was tense and he wasn't a complete fool. Bilbo needed time and he wouldn't add oil to the fire by pretending nothing had happened and everything was fine. Thus he fished into his pocket and began to fiddle the rune Belladonna had said she had found with him.

"You can finally eat now." Bilbo said as he placed the salad bowl, the bacon and the bread onto the table and sat across Kíli.

Kíli grinned wolfishly and thanked him briefly before devouring the delicious food that had been taunting him for a while. "You know…" he said between bites, "I don't think anyone can beat your cooking!"

Bilbo smiled feebly and picked at his food, visibly still bothered by their conversation. Kíli then paused, knowing that he would have to face his brother again sooner or later and thought of something clever to say to up his morale or fix the situation.

"Why don't you come with me?" he suggested.

"What?" Bilbo asked, choking on the small bit of food he had been about to swallow.

"I'm leaving in a week," Kíli stated, "Most of the preparations are done but I can always request an extra pony for you."

"You must be mad!" Bilbo exclaimed, "A Hobbit leaving the Shire! Why that's most unrespectable!"

"But mother did it." Kíli grinned, "In fact, all of the Tooks have done it at least once! Why should you deny the will of adventure that runs through your blood?"

"Because I'm a _Baggins_!" Bilbo stated obviously, "From Bag End! I'm very well respected in our community and I intend to keep it that way!"

"What does that matter?" Kíli insisted, his smile growing as his brother gradually became more flustered, "When we were younger, we dreamed of adventuring together! You kept dragging me into the forest to find Elves and faeries, remember? Where has that gone?"

Bilbo blushed deeply in frustration as he babbled aimlessly, desperately trying to find the words necessary to defend his choice but Kíli spoke again before he could make a concrete argument. "Come on." He encouraged, "It'll be fun! We'll visit all the Dwarf Kingdoms to the East. We'll start by making our way to Moria—"

"It's dangerous!" Bilbo objected sharply, "Infested with Orcs and Goblins!"

"I know, I remember the stories!" Kíli brushed off, "I just want to see the ruins. Anyways, we'll continue south from there and make our way to the region of Rohan and visit the White Mountains also bordering Gondor. From there we'll go north, following a path next to Mirkwood which will lead us to the Grey Mountains. Then we'll stop quickly at Erebor before moving forward to the Iron Hills and eventually return home from there."

"That's an awfully long trip!" Bilbo stated, "How do you know we'll have enough provisions?"

"There are many cities along the way." Kíli stated, "You should know out of everyone what with your obsessions over maps. The only point where we'll need to be careful is when we travel to the Grey Mountains because there aren't any signs of villages or homesteads. So what do you say? Will you follow your brother to his roots and join him on the adventure of a life time?"

Bilbo seemed even more flustered than he had before. He flapped his lips emptily, uttering no sound, as his mind worked hard to form an answer. "I…I…"

"Look at it this way," Kíli said, "If I ever seem like I don't want to return, you'll be able to drag me home whereas you won't be able to do so if you don't come along."

Bilbo considered the statement seriously before something Tookish awoke inside him and he seemed much more determined than a few moments ago, "Alright." He said. "I'll come with you."

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><p>After a long voyage, Thorin had finally made it to a familiar region with lush green hills and a bright sky filled with cotton clouds. He had only been there once before and it had not been on the best of terms. His mind absently wandered to the scar above his eye as he remembered delving into a river and pushing away his youngest nephew, trusting in Aüle to keep him safe. He had spent years wondering if the boy was still alive and had spent just as much time suffering from the uncertainty physically and mentally – the slight permanent shake in his hand and the many wounds tattering his back could attest to that.<p>

He sighed shakily before a gentle hand was placed on his shoulder, causing him to stiffen but then relax at the familiarity of it. "Dwalin…" he said softly as he turned to face his friend.

"He's alive." The gruff warrior said. "I know he is. I can feel it. He'll finally be coming home."

Thorin nodded and stared at the sign they had stopped next to. "The Shire…" he read before looking down the road. "There have been rumours of a Dwarf living there for 75 years now."

"The numbers add up." Balin stated as he took a step closer.

Thorin remained quiet for a moment before staring back at the company that had followed him thus far on his quest to fulfill his promise to his sister. The eleven Dwarves had all become his most valued friends and saviours during the horrible reign of Thrór and he couldn't have been happier to have them by his side on this very journey.

"The old King is dead." Dwalin said.

"Long live the King!" The others chanted in harmony.


	3. Company from the East

**This chapter is waaaaaaayyy longer than the last two lol**

**This story isn't meant to be that long and I've estimated it to be around 9 or 10 chapters but what with all the things I want to add, it might be a bit longer than that.**

**In future chapters we'll see just how Kili was as a child with Bilbo and their relationship/adventures over the years since...well, for reasons later made evident in this chapter, Kili will want to talk about it.**

**So anyways, I don't have much to say other than I have to study for three midterms and therefore won't have a lot of time to write this week. My macro-economy midterm is worth 20% I think, my History midterm is 25% and my History of Religion is 50% so obviously, the struggle is real.**

**Tho, to be honest, the only real thing I have to struggle with here is macro because of numbers XP I'm essentially a human encyclopedia when it comes to History and, from what my teachers told me, the tests are going to be freaking easy (one of them's a multiple question whereas the questions for the other have already been given to us since my teacher doesn't believe in the element of surprise)**

**Nonetheless, I will be busy XP**

**Now, ENJOY! And don't forget to tell me you're enjoying yourself and you want me to continue :D**

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><p><em>Kíli lied on his back, his small pudgy hands on his belly as he contemplated the sky. There was something surreal to it and for a moment he wondered why he was a toddler all over again but quickly brushed the thought aside. He sighed and was just about to sit up when a little boy of around his age with pointy ears and honey coloured locks jumped on him. Bilbo smiled brightly, his cheeks flushed with his typical blush as he giggled and kept Kíli in place with his weight. Kíli giggled as well and attempted to push his brother off but to no avail, and so the brotherly teasing quickly escalated to a rough play-fight which normally ended with one of the two bursting into tears.<em>

_However, Bilbo suddenly disappeared and Kíli sat up, perplexed. He looked for the little Hobbit and called out his name, standing to go find him when he suddenly found himself next to a river. The sky had turned grey and the sound of thunder rumbled as cold drops of rain fell from the ominous clouds that had been so beautiful seconds ago. Kíli felt fear and anxiety at the strangeness of everything until he saw a man standing in the river with a basket. He couldn't quite make out any particular trait save for his long black hair. And though the man was virtually a stranger, Kíli felt a sort of attachment and love for him and he wanted to go see him but, instead, stayed rooted in place._

"_You were loved." He whispered and pushed the basket away, watching it follow the stream._

_Suddenly, loud yelling startled Kíli out of his trance and a number of armed Dwarves charged out of the forest and lunged for the man. They dragged him out of the river and began to beat him savagely. For a moment, Kíli stared in horror, unable to act and, when he did decide to shout, his voice was no louder than the man's previous whisper._

"_Stop! Please! Don't hurt him! Stop it—"_

* * *

><p>Kíli awoke in his bed with a startle. His heart was pounding and he was covered in a thin layer of cold sweat, evidently the result of his bizarre nightmare. However, as it was, Kíli found he was unable to remember the slightest detail from his dream other than a group of Dwarves beating someone to a nasty mess. He shuddered and shrugged the memory away, jumping out of bed and wandering to the kitchen where Bilbo had just begun to cook breakfast.<p>

"Good morning." He said with a lazy smile.

Bilbo peered back, "Good morning," he returned hastily, "I'm glad you're up, I need you to run a quick errand. There are a few things I'm missing to cook some of the dishes so I need you to go pick them up at the market."

"Really?" Kíli whined, "I just got up—"

"Do you want to eat?" Bilbo shot back.

Kíli remained dumbfound for an instant before shrinking back and mumbling: "yeah…"

"Good." Bilbo concluded with a grin as he turned back to continue preparing the food. "Now make haste! I want you to be back in thirty minutes which means no lollygagging!"

Kíli pouted and trailed back to his room, quickly changing into more appropriate clothes for an outing in the Shire. He then left, snatching the list left on the table and wandered out of Bag End. As he always had a habit of doing, Kíli paused and took in the fresh air and relaxing sight of the plush green hills trailing as far as the eye could see.

He was going to miss the Shire.

Kíli released his breath and skipped down the stone stairs and jumped over the fence, walking with a light bounce in his step towards the market. It was crowded as usual but there was something about the atmosphere and the hints of laughter behind all the ruckus that gave the area a pleasurable ambiance – something that was mostly absent in all the other market places around Middle Earth, or so he had heard. It was in situations like these that Kíli prided himself more than usual to being a Dwarf since he was naturally taller than everyone and could simply peer above their heads to locate the stands he sought.

"Kíli!" Hamfast called as he pushed through the dense crowd surrounding the cabbage stand of a Proudfoot.

Kíli turned to face the man and smiled, "Mister Gamgee!" He said with a playful grin.

"I told you not to call me that!" Hamfast protested, "It makes me feel…old."

"Well…" Kíli started, his smile widening as offence flushed the Hobbit's cheeks.

"How rude!" Hamfast denounced, but his frown slowly turned to a smile as he accepted the jest with good humour. "Who are you to talk anyways? You're far older than me!"

"And yet not a wrinkle to show it!" Kíli laughed.

"Oh dear!" Hamfast gasped, utterly horrified, "Have I gotten to that point already?"

"I'm just teasing you, Hamfast." Kíli sighed with a chuckle, "You still look young enough to win the hearts of some Hobbit-lasses!"

"And maybe I would if they stopped ogling over you, blasted Dwarf!" Hamfast retorted with a grin. "What brings you to the market so early, anyways? I thought you were a late sleeper, or so Bilbo constantly complains."

"I am! But sleep has been evading me recently." Kíli admitted with a sheepish grin, "And even so, I've never felt more energetic in all my life! I'm just so excited to start my journey!"

"Aye," Hamfast nodded, "Bilbo's been lamenting a lot about that."

"I know." Kíli said, "He's tried to dissuade me a few times by saying it would ruin the respect of the Baggins family name."

"Oh, he needn't worry about that and neither should you!" Hamfast laughed, "A lot of us have discussed it and we've judged that it was only natural for you to want to leave eventually. You're not a Hobbit, you're a Dwarf. Different blood runs through your veins, one that most likely inspires the will for adventure contrary for Hobbits. Besides, we all expected you to want to find answers at some point. They're not going to just come _knocking at your door_, you know!"

"I'm glad you all understand." Kíli smiled.

"Just don't forget about us!" Hamfast said, "We've loved you for 75 years and it would be utterly cruel to discard it so simply, even if it is over your roots!"

"Don't worry Hamfast," Kíli grinned, "You won't be getting rid of me that easily and Bilbo will definitely see to that!"

"Aye, I imagine so." Hamfast chuckled, "His Tookish blood shows when he's determined to get his way."

"It does." Kíli agreed and shuddered in horror as he recalled the times he saw his brother at his worse. "It's quite frightening sometimes… but anyways, I have to go. I'll face Bilbo's Tookish wrath if I dally a moment longer."

"Of course," Hamfast said as he waved goodbye, "See you later."

Kíli quickly bought the spices, oils and other ingredients Bilbo had requested in his list. He wondered why he had demanded so many things when they would leave in a few days for a long adventure. Surely the things would spoil long before they returned and the money would then do to waste. Nonetheless, he complied with his brother's will and made a b-line for a Sackville stand where he was to buy syrup before returning home to Bag End.

Marcia, the old Hobbit-woman occupying the stand, had dozed off and promptly woken up with a blood curling scream just as Kíli approached. The Dwarf's heart nearly tore through his chest in startled horror at the sudden outburst and it had taken him a long moment to calm down before he could ask Marcia Sackville if she was alright.

"Oh, I'm fine dear." She said with a sweet smile, "You just startled me."

"_I_ startled _you_?" Kíli repeated.

"Aye, you did!" She confirmed, "Now what can I do for you, laddy?"

"Syrup will be all." He answered.

"Alright, well, you know the price, don't you?" Marcia said as she pushed a gourd of syrup towards Kíli.

Kíli nodded and pushed five gold and two silver coins towards her, "Here you go." He said and then snatched the syrup.

"Thank you." She said and scooped the money into her small, frail hands, "So when will you be leaving us, dear boy? I remember you were just a baby when I first saw you as a little Hobbit lass. It saddens me to see you leave us after al these years."

"We're leaving in a couple of days." Kíli answered.

"_We're_?" Marcia repeated skeptically. "You're not going alone?"

Kíli mentally smacked himself. He knew Bilbo didn't want information on his involvement in the journey to be leaked and now he had just ruined it.

"Oh," Marcia said before he could fix his mistake, "Are you leaving with that company of Dwarves?"

"I—" Kíli paused, "What? What company of Dwarves?"

"There's a company of Dwarves at the Green Dragon." Marcia said, "They arrived late the night before last. Apparently, they're not saying much on what business they have here but most assume they're travelling on important business to the Blue Mountains."

"Why would they assume that?" Kíli asked.

"Well, the leader of their company, a fine specimen indeed according to the wenches at the Green Dragon, has pockets flowing with gold and jewels." Marcia explained, "The lasses maintaining his room and cleaning his clothes also declared that his clothes and other items of his possession were of the finest quality and craftsmanship they had ever seen. Most think he's just a noble from the East travelling to the Blue Mountains but some say he's a King."

"Why from the East?" Kíli asked, and his heart suddenly started pumping faster.

"So curious!" Marcia grinned, "Well, he came from the eastern road and his clothes don't match the patterns and colours of the Dwarves' in the Blue Mountains. Seeing as there's only one Dwarf Kingdom in the West, the only other possibility is that he came from the East. However, if you ask me, that whole rumour on him being a King is folly!"

"Why do you say that?" Kíli asked.

"Use your head boy, it's quite obvious!" Marcia chuckled, "Why on earth would a King leave his Kingdom? His duty is to govern and he can't do that a thousand miles away! If anything, he's a representative of the King but even that I doubt. The lasses are just speculating excitedly because he's gorgeous – or something of the like."

And for a long moment, Kíli didn't respond as his mind was wandering somewhere far away. The information replayed through his head a thousand times and still it seemed he struggled to come to terms with all of it. He had never seen another Dwarf before and to have a full company of them wander through the Shire was amazing on its own since, aside from the occasional Man, no one passed through. Nonetheless, finally, he had an opportunity to speak with some of his kind! Kíli could ask them about their culture and heritage, explain to them what had happened to him and ask if they knew anything about his origins or where he might start looking for answers. It was a great opportunity and he wasn't about to waste it.

"Thanks a bunch, Marcia!" Kíli thanked as he snapped out of his thoughts. He placed a grateful kiss on her cheek before running off, "You're the best!"

"You flatter me, dear!" She responded with a wave as he left.

Kíli rushed out of the market place, his arms filled with the groceries Bilbo had requested, faced with a decision. He could either run back to Bag End, dump the food he had gathered and hastily explain to his brother where he was going to run off to or directly go see the Dwarves and face Bilbo's wrath later. He didn't know much of his people other than what Belladonna had told him but Dwarves supposedly moved fast during their travels and so there was no telling how long they would remain in the Shire if they were truly headed to the Blue Mountains.

Kíli looked at both paths in distress. Bilbo would definitely be angry if he acted without telling him and if he didn't return with the food in time. Nonetheless, he had been given such a rare opportunity by the Valar and the next thing he knew, he was running down the path to the Green Dragon. Perhaps, if they liked him enough, he could travel with them at some point, when they returned from the Blue Mountains and headed back from East – provided the speculated information he had been given was accurate.

His heart leaped upon the sight of the Green Dragon and he ran faster to the inn, nearly tearing down the door as he entered abruptly. The wenches sweeping the floors and cleaning the tables were startled by his sudden appearance but they had all immediately guessed the reason of his arrival.

"Kíli…" said the youngest, approaching him with her broom gripped tightly in her hands. She almost seemed sad.

"I've come to see the Dwarves—" he declared quickly, peering around.

"I'm sorry," she said, and the other further back turned her gaze away in melancholy, "They left an hour or so ago."

"They…" Kíli mumbled, lost, "What…?"

"I'm really sorry!" the Hobbit lass insisted, inching closer, "We offered them to stay a while longer but they refused, said they had important business to solve and whatnot. We'd thought you'd have come sooner—"

"Did…did you tell them about me?" he asked as emotions escaped him; he wasn't quite sure how to feel at the given moment.

"Aye, we did!" She insisted with vigorous nods, "We even told them you were in Bag End with Bilbo!"

"…And?" Kíli asked.

"They…they didn't say anything." She admitted, regretfully looking at the floor, "They barely spoke with us in general, probably thought we were annoying or something and making up lies. I'm really sorry Kíli! But why didn't you come sooner?"

"I was…I was busy…" Kíli mumbled. "With the preparations for my trip and everything…Do you know where they might have gone?"

"No, I'm sorry…" she said sadly, "They barely spoke about their objectives or what they were doing here, and when they did, it was hushed whispers that ceased whenever we were too near. But they might be headed to the Blue Mountains!"

Kíli smiled, "No," he said softly, "I think I'll just go home. Bilbo's been expecting me for a bit now and he'll be angry if I take any more time. Thank you."

The Hobbit girl called after him as he left but Kíli ignored her. He was far too lost in sorting out his thoughts and emotions to hold conversations with others any longer. In the end, having missed the company of Dwarves by so little time was a great disappointment, that he knew, but it didn't change anything to his original goal. He only wished he could have met them and had a short conversation with them, maybe learn about what to expect in the East.

Thus, as he made his way back to Bag End, he made up a bunch of scenarios in his mind where he had actual met them. Most of them resulted in the Dwarves liking him and accepting him as one of their own immediately and marvelling at his mother's craftsmanship upon seeing the rune she had carved for him which he carried with him everywhere. There were the few scenarios where the Dwarves were apprehensive and hostile towards him, maybe insulting him and challenging his true origins, but Kíli always found the right thing to say to dismiss their words or hateful arguments, eventually gaining their admiration and friendship. Either way, he fiddled with the rune in his pocket the entire time.

He absently crossed the fence guarding the front entrance of Bag End, dismissing the fact that the gate was open and the hinges to the lock had been torn off. He climbed the stairs miserably and walked pass the front door which was also wide open and bumped right into a tall, strong figure. The stranger must have been moving quickly for it had knocked Kíli right off his feet and left him dumfound in the entryway, the groceries he had bought rolling about around him.

Kíli looked up and gawked at the man he had bumped into. He was incredibly tall with an impressive beard and bald head covered in tattoos. His arms were huge and muscular, fit to wield the huge Warhammer he carried on his back. His expression was that of a warrior which had seen many battles and hardships and the scar near his eye attested to that.

And so Kíli attempted to assess the situation. He had been knocked over by the manliest, scariest-looking man he had ever seen and, for some reason, he was in Bilbo's house, a Warhammer strapped to his back. Why would such a person be present in Bag End? And then it hit him.

Bilbo was being robbed.

It all made sense really. Bag End was situated far away from most of the residences of the Shire and near a road leading out of the settlement. Travellers, marauders and thieves would definitely pass on the road for it was one of the scarce ones leading to the Shire. Not to mention that Bilbo had also been bequeathed everything from one of the wealthiest families in all of the hilly green land.

He was the perfect target and Kíli had to act quickly to save him.

Without thinking for a moment longer, he roared and jumped to his feet, tackling the man onto the ground with the use of his weight. He then jumped over him and dashed through the house, grabbing a hold of the coat hanger as it was the nearest object to him and he would need it as a weapon to fend off any more intruders.

Unfortunately for Kíli, there were eleven more intruders. A few stood in the halls or had been attracted to them what with the commotion and had promptly been knocked off their feet as he called out for his brother. Finally, he reached the atrium where the rest stood gathered around a flustered Bilbo. Kíli held the coat hanger defensively, ready to smack anyone who dared approach him.

"Get away from my brother!" he growled.

The men around Bilbo blinked at him dumbly before turning to one of them in particular who seemed to be their leader. Bilbo immediately turned his gaze to the ground and glared at it while Kíli slowly began to lower his guard as an eerie familiarity crept up his back. There was something about the man with the black hair and piercing blue eyes that seemed horribly familiar.

He stepped closer, oozing authority and dominance with every sound of his shoes clicking against the floor and Kíli struggled to hide his growing apprehension. He held the man's gaze as best as he could and tried to meet his might but to no avail. He slowly began to accept that he was going to get a savage beating or was going to be killed shortly for having wounded so many of his companions but the stranger never made a move to hit him or threaten to do so.

He stopped walking, standing inches away from Kíli in pure silence as he was scrutinized. "The rune." He finally said, his voice low and rumbling like thunder, "Do you have a rune?"

"A-and what if I do?" Kíli asked defiantly with feigned courage.

"Let me see it." He demanded.

Kíli found himself complying with the order without realizing it until he was offering the rune to him. The stranger snatched it from his hands and examined it carefully, his stoic features suddenly fading as overwhelming emotion took over him. Kíli was confused by the sudden change in attitude but what shocked him more was when he was pulled into a bone crushing embrace.

"I've finally found you." The dark haired stranger whispered, "I thank Mahal for having protected you for 75 years."

"Wh—" Kíli said but interrupted himself, looking at Bilbo for answers.

"Uncle…" one of the blond haired men said, stepping forward. "Is this…?"

The man released him and Kíli was still struggling to come to terms with the sudden change in situations when he said: "Yes, Fíli. This is your brother."

* * *

><p><strong>Now I kinda just wanted to add this bit just to clear a thing up or whatever. I tell (and will continue to) you guys to comment each chapter and what not and I'm not exactly doing it to whore myself out for reviews XP I'm doing it because I'm not writing this story for me.<strong>

**I didn't come up with this idea, I took it from the Kink Meme and provided a link to the person who prompted it and wrote this story for her/him and a lot of you so happened to have taken a liking to it. I'm thankful for that but, if you remember the author's comment from the first chapter, I wasn't exactly keen or determined on the idea of going pass chapter 1 until a bunch of you told me to.**

**I've finished this story in my head and I don't need the closure of having it written down somewhere because, well, it's already done for me. The only reason this thing keeps going is because people demand it of me and I'm only too happy to oblige :D**

**Now don't get the wrong idea, I like writing this, however, the survival of the story rests in your hands and if I find that there are too few people demanding the story, I won't go out of my way to finish it lol (I have a life - sadly).**

**BUT ANYWAYS, the point is: the survival of the story rests in your hands so comment if you want me to keep going so I know I'm not doing this for nothing. (my minimum is like 4 reviews or something lol which I find pretty reasonable)**


	4. Family Reunion

**Short chapter is short and the result of my procrastination.**

**Rather than study my History of Religion thing I wrote this short chapter instead which will set up the next chapter or whatever**

**Anyways, I don't have much to say and I have to get back to obtaining Nirvana (relevant Buddhist joke is only relevant to me)**

**ENJOY!**

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><p>Kíli blinked dumbly repeatedly, staring at the Dwarf named Fíli and then at Bilbo for answers. The entire situation was complete madness and Kíli was sure he would quickly wake up in his bed, Bilbo in the kitchen as per usual, ready to listen to his weird dream. But Kíli was wide awake.<p>

"My…what?" he mumbled, lost, "What's happening?"

"Aye," said an old Dwarf with snow white hair and fluffy beard, "I think we owe an explanation to the lad. He looks hopelessly confused. Let's start with introductions. My name is Balin," he bowed, "At your service. And that Dwarf there," he pointed at the muscular one he had knocked off his feet just as he entered Bag End, "Is my brother, Dwalin, sworn protector of the line of Durin."

"You're lucky you're not anyone else." Dwalin growled, "I would have strangled you by now."

"And these three," Balin said, gesturing a silver haired Dwarf with neatly arranged hair and perfectly groomed beard, a Dwarf with star shaped hair and a thieving air to him, and a dull looking Dwarf, clutching a book to his chest, "Are Dori, Nori, Ori – respectively – from the line of Ri. They're not of noble lineage but they've earned their place and current status."

The three Dwarves bowed in sync, "At your service!" they said.

"And then we have Gloín and Oín," Balin pointed at two old Dwarves, the first had thick red hair and a large beard, he almost resembled a lion, the other was much older and held a horn to his ear as he cringed, struggling to hear, "Our banker and healer, respectively."

"At your service!" They said.

"And I'm Bofur!" Continued a Dwarf with a jolly smile. He wore a funny hat which seemed to mimic his personality in some sense. He then gestured a rather fat Dwarf and one with an axe embedded in his skull, "And the big one's my brother Bombur, the cook, the other's my cousin, Bifur, the odd ball. At your service!"

They bowed and Balin continued with the introductions, "And finally," He said, gesturing the last two, "we have the leader of our company and his nephew, King Under the Mountain Thorin "Oakenshield" Durin of Erebor, the Greatest Kingdom That Ever Was Or Will Be and Prince Fíli of Erebor, son of Dís, daughter of Thrain, heir to the Lonely Mountain."

Kíli blinked again. "You…he…" he pointed at Thorin and then at Fíli and looked at Balin for answers, "He said he was my brother…"

"Aye." Balin confirmed, "You are Princess Dís' second born son, exiled three months prior to your birth for your own safety. However, the danger has now passed and we have come to take you home."

Kíli remained silent. It was absurd. Everything was absurd. They were all mad! He couldn't be a long lost prince to some random kingdom to the East! That was pure folly! Something you would find in faery tales and nowhere else! It was utterly impossible!

"Is this some sort of joke?" Kíli asked, and then he looked at Bilbo who turned his gaze away.

"I understand…" Thorin said, taking a step closer, "This might be a bit overwhelming, but I assure you this is all very real and I haven't made a mistake. I would recognize your mother's runes anywhere."

Kíli looked at his hand, wondering when he had taken it back and, suddenly, he felt dizzy. He abruptly turned white, his knees buckled and he fell over, knocked out cold.

It had to be a dream, there was no other explanation.

It was all just a dream.

It had to be.

* * *

><p>Bilbo sat by Kíli's side as he waited for him to awake. The other Dwarves had made themselves at home and were chatting in the smoking room or anywhere else, enjoying themselves as they waited for Kíli to awake. Suddenly, Thorin walked into the room and stood next to Bilbo. They were silent for a long moment and the tension was obvious. Bilbo was still highly offended by the rude intrusion and taken aback by the declaration that Kíli was, in fact, second in line to the greatest Dwarf Kingdom in all of Middle Earth.<p>

"I suppose…" Thorin finally said, "I should apologize for barging in."

"You should." Bilbo agreed bitterly.

"You must understand," Thorin said rather than apologize, "I've thought him dead for over half a century. To learn he had made it and had survived for 75 years was…I can barely describe the relief I felt."

"That still doesn't give you the right to pillage my home," Bilbo said, "Even if you did order the rest of your lot to rearrange everything, a few vases were still broken."

"If those are all your concerns," Thorin said, fishing through his pockets for his pouch, "I will happily reimburse—"

"Oh stop it." Bilbo sighed in frustration. "I don't need your money."

Thorin paused and looked at Bilbo quizzically, "I understand you're angry about our intrusion," he said slowly, "But I feel as though you're also bitter about something else."

Bilbo blushed at his transparency and looked away, "What does it matter?" he mumbled angrily.

"I admit this is rather…improper for a person of my stature," Thorin admitted, "And I see how this could trouble you. Rest at ease, as soon as Kíli awakes, we will leave for Erebor and never bother you again."

"Good." Bilbo sighed, "But you'll have to answer his questions before you go."

Thorin was just about to agree when he paused and realized there had been a misunderstanding. "The boy…" he said, "Will be coming with us."

"No he won't." Bilbo brushed away with a scoff, "Why on earth would he do that?"

Thorin crossed his arms above his chest and stared at Bilbo with authority, "He is prince of Erebor, second in line," Thorin reminded, "He has duties to fulfill for the Kingdom and he must learn to assist his brother in the council chamber when Fíli ascends to the throne."

Bilbo stiffened visibly, clutching at the blankets of the bed dangling from the bedside. "He promised he would stay." Bilbo answered coldly.

"Be that as it may," Thorin said regretfully, "He will have to break his word for the need of the many out rule the few—"

"I will not allow you to take my brother from me!—" Bilbo snapped loudly as he stood abruptly, tipping over his chair.

Thorin frown and matched Bilbo's defiance, "He is _not_ your brother." Thorin growled, "His true brother is Fíli."

"He is my family—"

"His family," Thorin interrupted, "Is Fíli and I. No one else. You just so happened to be born of generous parents who took in an exiled Dwarf out of kindness. You share no blood ties to him and, therefore, have no right to demand anything so selfish. Besides, he belongs with his kind, not _here_."

"You can't—" Bilbo protested, tears welling in his eyes, "He's all I have left—"

"My condolences to you, Hobbit," Thorin hissed, "But he will be returning home and there's nothing you can do to stop it."

And other than glare and retain his tears, there was nothing more Bilbo could do or say. Thorin walked out of the room with an air of authority and just as he turned the corner and was out of sight, he broke into sobs and crumbled to the floor. Kíli awkwardly shifted to his side, pretending to still be asleep even though he had heard the entire argument.


	5. A Brotherly Conversation

**This one came out faster than expected (THAT'S WHAT SHE SAID!) but I won't be able to post anything on Friday and I was bored and didn't want to study for my last (and most important) midterm XP**

**IF I FAIL THAT TEST I BLAME ALL OF YOU!**

**But I honestly think I'm ready so it's all good XP**

**But yeah, so many of you were ripping on Thorin D: I understand you want them all to be happy and Thorin was disturbing that serenity but none of you bothered to look at things from his perspective XD **

**Anyways, we'll be clearing everything up this chapter.**

**ENJOY NOW!**

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><p>When Kíli awoke after having fallen asleep again, Bilbo was no longer by his side. Instead, the blonde Dwarf prince named Fíli sat in the chair and was slowly nodding off, however Kíli's slight shift in position brought him back to consciousness. He smiled upon seeing the younger Dwarf awake and sat upright as Kíli pulled himself up and brought his knees to his chest.<p>

"Glad to see you're awake now." Fíli said, "That was some nasty black out."

"Well, I did decide to sleep at some point." Kíli admitted as to make himself appear not as weak as the other might assume.

"I know," Fíli assured with a laugh, "You were snoring for the past two hours or so."

"So what happened to everybody?" Kíli asked, the darkness of the room betraying the time that had passed.

"Uncle insisted on sleeping here tonight and requested my presence as well." Fíli huffed, "The rest have returned to the Green Dragon."

"Oh…" Kíli hummed, sounding a bit disappointed.

"I take it you heard the argument between he and Master Baggins?" Fíli asked with a knowing gaze.

"How did you know?" Kíli asked genuinely surprised.

"I had an inkling." Fíli said, "That and you basically just admitted to it."

Kíli rolled his eyes at his own stupidity causing Fíli to laugh, "Is it true though?" the former asked, returning to topic, "Do I really have no say in the matter?"

"You mean about returning to the Mountain?" Fíli asked, earning a nod from the other, "Sadly, he is right. You were never meant to be sent away, you know, otherwise we wouldn't have gone after you. Because of this you have duties towards the realm and must fill your diplomatic role as second in line."

"But I don't understand," Kíli sighed in frustration, "Thorin is still healthy and young enough to still impregnate a woman, you're there if all fails as the current heir and you're definitely young enough to have children, doesn't my presence seem a bit excessive?"

"Of course it may seem that way at first," Fíli agreed, "But more complications mix themselves to the matter. So far, I'm Uncle's only apparent heir which, in a sense, is dangerous for him and makes him vulnerable."

"Why? How?" Kíli asked impatiently.

"Believe it or not, the kingdom Uncle rules isn't a sanctuary from chaos and crime." Fíli said grimly, "Ever since King Thrór's reign ended, the Dwarves of Erebor have grown increasingly unstable. Because of all the injustice and abuse that had been committed, Uncle did take the initiative to assure that such a thing would never repeat itself and installed a democracy within the present monarchy."

"What's a democracy?" Kíli asked.

"In brief, it's a government specifically made to voice the opinion of the population." Fíli explained quickly, "By installing the 'people's government', Uncle has lost a substantial amount of power and needs the approval of the government before acting upon any of his decisions. Many nobles who contest his rise to power – as it wasn't entirely pure or legitimate – have taken it as an opportunity to make the ruling and rehabilitation of Erebor a bigger task than it already was."

"But how do heirs come into play with this?" Kíli asked.

"It's simple, really," Fíli said, "Uncle, like any other man who loves his family, wants to make sure that, upon his death, they will not succumb to poverty or whatever misfortune could occur. Part of assuring this is keeping the monarchy relevant. To ensure that I am not overthrown, we have to win the hearts of our subjects and have them develop a sort of concern for our wellbeing."

"So finding the long lost nephew is just a political ploy?" Kíli growled, insulted.

"I'm not going to lie to you," Fíli said, "This is something heartwarming that will indeed win the hearts of a lot of Dwarves. Your exile wasn't exactly on the down low, a lot of people knew about it and a lot of people hated King Thrór all the more for it. But, again, there's more than just that to your retrieval."

"What else could there be?" Kíli asked cynically.

"Recently, the nobles have been getting a bit…rough around the edges, if you will." Fíli answered, "The ones who specifically want to see Uncle fail are sending extremists who absolutely can't forgive what King Thrór has done after he and I. If one of us dies, if _I_ die, the line of Durin will fail and Erebor will no longer have a King. Now, what makes this so important to Uncle is that as much as he wants to keep his family safe, he wants to keep the line of Durin alive. You and I, we're Durins, and it is our duty to provide descendants to keep the name alive so we are not forgotten. Uncle doesn't want to be the one to provoke its failure."

"Why don't you just pump babies out of Dwarf-ladies then?" Kíli asked, still not understanding why it was so important for him to return.

"It's not as simple as you would like it to be," Fíli said, "We must marry for our descendants to have claim to the throne and a royal marriage would not only require a lot of expenses that aren't ready to be made yet, but it would also open the way for more irrational and dangerous attacks from extremists and nobles with ill will towards us."

"Then kill the nobles." Kíli said with a shrug.

Fíli stared at him quietly with a disappointed expression, "Now it seems like you're not even paying attention to what I'm saying." He sighed with a playful smile, "If we would do that, the population would think a repeat of the tyranny of King Thrór was reoccurring and we would surely be damned."

"King Thrór…" Kíli snorted, "You keep mentioning him who is he anyways?"

"As much as I would like to tell you now," Fíli said with a sad smile, "It's not my story to tell. One day, Uncle will tell you and you will understand why you were sent away and why Erebor is so unstable."

There was silence for a moment and Fíli hesitated to speak again.

"There is…" he said slowly, "Another reason as to why your return is…essential."

"Oh? And what could that be?" Kíli asked sarcastically.

"Mother." Fíli said, and the word had more impact than Kíli believed it should. "He made a promise to her…" he continued, his eyes trailing towards the window, "He said that, one day, he would bring you back to her."

Kíli remained quiet, debating whether he should make a snazzy remark or bitter comment but he ultimately felt it was inappropriate. Instead he averted his gaze to the floor.

"Look," Fíli sighed, "I understand that all this talk of politics and duty is lost on you, you weren't raised in the same context as me. However, you can understand the weight of a promise, can you not?"

"I can." Kíli responded dryly. "I promised Bilbo I would come back to the Shire at the end of my journey."

"You still can." Fíli said which surprised Kíli.

"Thorin said I wouldn't be returning home." He said.

"He meant in a permanent manner." Fíli explained and elaborated once he crossed Kíli's confused expression, "From then on, you'll be living in Erebor with us, but this doesn't mean you won't be permitted to leave on vacation or just a visit to wherever you desire. As the second in line, you have more freedom than I ever will and it will only increase once I get married and have a child. Technically, you'll be able to visit the Shire occasionally and meet with your friends and family."

Kíli's expression brightened up but the soured, "How do you know that's what he meant?" he asked suspiciously.

"Because I too am allowed to leave for a vacation or visit to wherever I please." Fíli stated, "However, I can only go so far. I must stay rather close to Erebor and be ready to return as soon as possible if my presence if ever seriously needed. This is the only time and exception I've been given to travel so far to the East. Now going off what I said, since you'll have more freedom than me, you'll actually be able to come here. Of course, you won't be able to return so shortly after arriving at Erebor, but if you give Uncle some time and show him how you take your duties seriously, he might consider allowing you to visit the Shire faster than he would have otherwise permitted."

"Then…I suppose leaving's not that bad…" Kíli reasoned with himself, "But Erebor does sound awfully dangerous…"

"Aye, but it does sound more exciting." Fíli smirked. "Living a leisure life is good and all, but I think, as my brother, that a little bit of excitement and uncertainty is very appealing to you, isn't it?"

Kíli smiled guiltily, "I guess we really are brothers." He smirked, but his smile slowly faded away as his mind focused on something else, "Brother…" he repeated in a mumble, "You're my brother…"

"Hard to believe, isn't it?" Fíli smirked, "We look nothing alike, though I assure you, you do really take after our mother. I resemble more our father, or so I'm told."

"What was he like?" Kíli asked. "Our father, I mean."

"Honestly, I wouldn't know." Fíli answered with a huff, "The day he died was also the day mother learned she was pregnant with you. Apparently he was a good warrior, very skilled and honorable who contested King Thrór and that inevitably ended with his head chopped clean off."

"Ouch." Kíli winced.

"But enough about that," Fíli said, scooting closer to the bed, "I want to hear about your life."

"My life?" Kíli repeated, surprised, "Why?"

"Because you're my brother!" Fíli reminded with a playful nudge, "All I remember about you is vaguely holding you as a babe before you were whisked away. It's a pity we don't know each other more than this and, honestly, if you're going to survive Erebor, you'll want a friend."

"I guess that makes sense." Kíli reasoned with a smile.

"So tell me about your childhood." Fíli demanded as he laid back comfortably against the chair, "I want to hear about how life was with these people. They're so kind and relaxed, it sounds like it would have been loads of fun."

"It was." Kíli confirmed with a growing smile. He enjoyed how Fíli seemed genuinely interested and excited to learn more about him, "My mother was Belladonna Took and my father was Bungo Baggins."

"They already sound fun." Fíli commented.

"They really were." And as Fíli continued to be positive, Kíli got all the more excited to tell him more about himself. "Belladonna was single when she first took me in but got married almost immediately after returning to the Shire. She and Bungo took good care of me and completely forgot about how they wanted a child of their own for twenty-five years."

"So I'm assuming you were difficult." Fíli guessed with a grin.

"A bit." Kíli admitted with a guilty smile, "I was very energetic, or so they kept telling when I got old enough to remember things. So twenty-five years later, Bilbo came along and I was really excited about having a little brother. I wouldn't leave him alone and Belladonna later teased me about having been a second mother to Bilbo then."

"Ha, I know the feeling." Fíli laughed, "I was the same way when Gimli, Gloín's son, came into the world."

"When we were around the same age," Kíli continued, "Bilbo and I got into all sorts of trouble. We would run off into the forest, wreck the house while attempting to cook, and pillaged the garden from which we were quickly forbidden to enter ever again. We were basically little balls of energy and we were schooled often for our behavior. We had actually become infamous at some point and were known as the Terrific Duo or something of the like."

"Oh wow," Fíli laughed, "Belladonna and Bungo must have been exceptional people."

"They were." Kíli nodded, "Belladonna was righteous and as energetic as us. She was the only one who could keep up and control us to some extent. Bungo was essentially her polar opposite, very relaxed and struggling to deal with us. He normally left that task to Belladonna while he cleaned the house of cooked or something. They were the perfect match and were very much in love."

"Where are they now?" Fíli asked.

"Belladonna passed away eight years ago." Kíli explained, "Bungo had left four years before her. It was tough but even more so for Bilbo."

"I guess his reaction was only understandable then." Fíli concluded, remembering what he had heard from the argument, "You really are the only family he has left."

"Well…" Kíli said slowly, "That's not entirely true. He has plenty of cousins, aunts and uncles, he just doesn't like any of them as much as me!"

"Ha! I reckon he would never admit to that!" Fíli laughed, "He seems far too respectable!"

"See," Kíli grinned, "He might seem that way at first but when you get to know him, the only word to describe him is: frightening."

"That doesn't surprise me!" Fíli said, "When we first got here and barged into his home, he exploded and yelled and argued with Uncle until he learned he was addressing a King."

"Oh Valar!" Kíli laughed as he imagined Bilbo's face, "I can't even begin to imagine his reaction!"

"Aye, it was something priceless!" Fíli laughed as well, "Something akin to a stunned dear!"

"Now I regret not having been there!" Kíli said.

They continued to chat as so for a while. They laughed and joke, got to know each other better as brothers and bond. Kíli found it was rather easy to talk to Fíli and that he was far more reasonable and open minded than Thorin seemed. In brief, Kíli rather liked his newfound brother and was quite happy they got on so well.

Bilbo, on the other hand, loathed it. As he stood on the other side of the closed door and listened to them laugh as though they had known each other all their lives, fear swelled within him. Kíli opened up so easily to Fíli, even more so than he did with him. The Hobbit's eyes filled with tears again as he sighed and wondered if Kíli would simply accept leaving with the company of Dwarves – having only begun eavesdropping when hearing the boys laughing loudly about his reaction to the presence of a King. The fact that Kíli had already made his mind was unknown to him.

Nonetheless, in the end, it was only a matter of time before Kíli befriended everyone and left with them merrily, leaving Bilbo to live in the house of his deceased parents on his own. Bilbo's eyes shifted to the ceiling, watering as he woefully began accepting the inevitability of the loneliness he would eventually suffer – the instigation of which he blamed on Thorin. His eyes moved from the veiling and down the hall to his left where he found the formerly mentioned standing quietly, his arms folded across his chest as though challenging him. Bilbo glared at him and merely left without exchanging a word. Something Tookish awoke in him in that moment and he decided he wouldn't let that obnoxious, hardheaded King win. He was going to keep his brother no matter what and Thorin would not stop him.

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><p><strong>POLITICS 5EVER<strong>


	6. Journey or Home

**Five million years later (AKA 1 year later) here's chapter 6.**

**I think I had already written chapter 6 a year ago but I hadn't liked it so I deleted it. Then I never got around to writing it again until now.**

**I also vaguely remember mentioning that this story would only be around 10 chapters long but I think it'll end up being a little more than that. I plan to make 5 chapters about the journey to Erebor and then around 5 more chapters on their adventures in Erebor though the "Erebor Arc" might easily exceed 5 chapters.**

**I sorta got this all planned out in my head.**

**Anyways, ENJOY!**

* * *

><p>Kíli awoke in his bed alone. Fíli had pulled a cot into his room the previous night so he would have some comfortable place to sit while they chatted the night away. He had learned many things about their culture and about Erebor. Apparently, the Dwarves had a language of their own known as Kudzhul and very few outsiders knew or could make sense of it. He was taught a few basic words and a couple of swears and Fíli had been surprised by the speed at which he seemed to master the pronunciation. Kíli felt proud of his accomplishments.<p>

Fíli had also gone into detail of what his newfound brother should expect upon arriving in Erebor. He told him the kingdom was situated beneath a mountain and stretched to its very tip just as it also reached for the deepest abyss down below.

Erebor had been made in harmony with the Lonely Mountain. The first Dwarves tried to conserve the paths already created by the mountain but had to enlarge some others and destroy certain sections but, if they didn't have to they didn't. Most, if not all, the houses and homes of peasant Dwarves living within the mountain were made by carving its stone into something suitable. Some of the richer Dwarves who wished to expand on some parts of their homes brought in fresh stone for the feet or simply carved further into the mountain walls. In any case, the most modified part of the mountain was the entrance. The front of the Lonely Mountain bore large and tall doors that were always open in favour of easing the hustling and bustling of trade and whatnot. Beyond the large doors was a vast open space filled with stalls and booths were common Dwarves sold their goods and made some of their fortune or simply shopped for groceries. Lately, Men have been seen gradually more often.

Fíli went on and on about his home for hours. It was evident he was very much in love with the place and yearned to return to it – regardless of his limited freedom. He had nothing but good things to say about its people and their beauty which told Kíli he would one day make a remarkable and loving King.

Kíli shifted in his bed and looked out the window. The sun was shining brightly as it always was in the Shire and the sky was ever so blue. Today was meant to be a gloriously wonderful day. He smiled and glanced down at Fíli's cot but was surprised to find it empty. It was then he remembered how Thorin planned to leave the Shire along with the rest of the company in what Kíli could only imagine would be in a few hours.

He got out of his bed and pulled some clothes on. This was likely the first time he got out of bed and dressed himself immediately. Every other time he remained in his night clothes and trudged sleepily to the kitchen where he knew he would find Bilbo doing what he did best: cooking. A pang of pain hit Kíli right in the heart at the thought. Leaving for Erebor would mean never waking up to the smell of crisping bacon and baking bread. It would mean never being greeted by the lovely and warm weather of the Shire and leaving its comfort forever.

Kíli sat back on his bed and contemplated his emotions for an instant. Before he had gotten news of the Dwarf Company in the Shire and before they had turned his life upside down by claiming him to be the lost prince of Erebor, he had actually been rather excited to leave the Shire. None of the afore mentioned painful feelings weighed him down or made him hesitate but it might have been because, no matter what Kíli would have found on his adventure, he knew he wouldn't stay. He had honestly expected to find his parents which he believed would have been farmers or miners – something common and with feeble income. He thought he had been sent away because his poor parents couldn't afford to feed him and thought he would have better chances to live elsewhere regardless of what Belladonna had told him. But he was the son of a princess and second in line to the greatest Dwarf Kingdom of Middle Earth: Erebor.

And the longer Kíli sat on his bed and remembered what he loved so much about the Shire which he would later be abandoning, the more he felt reluctant to follow his uncle – the King – back to his roots.

Suddenly, the door creaked open and Fíli popped his head in. He spotted Kíli immediately and grinned upon seeing his newfound brother sitting on his bed, dressed and ready to go. "Uncle told me to see if you had awoken." He said as he entered the room and closed the door behind him, "He told me not to wake you if you were still sleeping."

"Ha…" Kíli huffed. He had half a mind to ask Fíli to lie for him.

"Something the matter?" Fíli asked and took a seat next to him.

"I…I don't think I want to leave." Kíli admitted. "This is my home. Sure it might not have all the excitement and wonder of Erebor but it's beautiful, quaint and welcoming. I've lived here my whole life."

"You belong in Erebor." Fíli said. Kíli looked at his newfound brother in shock, unable to believe he would say such a thing after the impression he gave off the night before. Fíli looked at him sternly but only for a brief moment before he exploded in laughter. "Ah, you should see your face!" He grinned, "That's honestly something Uncle would say, I think I understand where you're coming from."

"You do?" Kíli asked.

"Had Hobbit royalty wandered to Erebor and claimed me to be the long lost Hobbit prince of their line and requested I leave everything I've ever known from the moment I was born," Fíli started with a smile, "I think I would also be rather conflicted and tormented. Especially if the family of Hobbits was as powerful and naturally menacing as I can imagine we are."

"Hobbits don't have a monarchy." Kíli said with a huff and a smile, "And you guys aren't so bad."

Fíli paused for an instant and looked Kíli over. "The last thing you were expecting was discovering you are of noble descent." He concluded, "I reckon the thought wouldn't even have crossed your mind even in your wildest dream."

"Yeah…" Kíli admitted, "The most I was willing to imagine was a well off merchant's son that had gotten involved with the wrong crowd and had to send me away for my own safety. Until things were sorted out, of course, but by then he would have lost track of me."

"Did you, maybe…" Fíli started and trailed off. He seemed to hesitate to ask his question as though he was afraid of giving the wrong impression, "Not that this is the case but, did you ever, maybe, envision a scenario where you weren't welcome home?"

"Of course," Kíli smirked and he pulled out the rune his mother had made him, "But my mother, Belladonna, kept insisting I was loved otherwise I wouldn't have this with me. Even then, I still thought that maybe my other mother loved me but my father might have not."

"You know," Fíli said, "The only memory I have of you is when you were just born. I was in the nursery, holding you and singing to you while mother carved your rune." He leaned back and placed his arms behind him as support as he stared at the ceiling, "Uncle says that was the day he took you and left." He then looked over at Kíli, "I know how scary it must be to leave this place and go somewhere new and dangerous. However, for the sake of our mother and uncle and everyone who gave up so much to protect you, please come home for just a short while. If you truly do not wish to stay, I don't believe any power in the world can keep you there."

"What did people give up for me?" Kíli asked, "No one ever really goes beyond that."

"Uncle will tell you when the time is right." Fíli said, "He knows more than I. I was just a babe when you left."

Kíli nodded and their conversation ended as such. He still wasn't sure whether he wanted to follow the company to Erebor anymore but figured he might as well do it for the people who seemed to have given up so much for him. However, he wondered if Bilbo would still like to tag along.

Kíli and Fíli left his room, making way to the kitchen where Bilbo and Thorin were bickering at each other. The sight was amazing and funny. Though Bilbo had apparently been very flustered about having initially treated a king so poorly, he had since then graduated from the feeling. As it was, he was schooling Thorin for his poor table manners and the latter was defending himself arduously.

"It's really simple!" Bilbo snapped, "No elbows on the table! Period!"

"There isn't anyone else at the table and it's not as though we're eating!" Thorin snapped back, "You're exaggerating!"

"Exaggerating?" Bilbo snarled, "Would you have done such a thing back in Erebor with your distinguished noblemen seated around you and observing all of your actions!?"

Thorin pinched his lips together, glaring at Bilbo, "This is different—"

"Hardly!" Bilbo cut in immediately, "You're being extremely rude both in table manners and as a guest!"

Suddenly, the stench of burning pork caught Bilbo's attention. He darted back to the meat cooking in his pan and despaired at the fact that one side was burnt, "Look what you've done!" he blamed Thorin.

"_Me_?" Thorin repeated, incredulous, "_You're_ the one cooking!"

"And you're the one who distracted me!" Bilbo fired back, "Had you used proper table etiquette and not have whined like a child when I corrected you, I wouldn't have burned the meat! Now I can't serve this and I've wasted it!"

Thorin was a loss of words to defend himself. Fíli chuckled, having never seen his uncle so dumbfounded and disoriented in an argument, "You're insufferable." Thorin muttered, slinking back into his chair with his arms folded over his chest.

"As are you." Bilbo grumbled back and took care of the other things he had been cooking before going back to replacing the meat with something else.

"Are we interrupting something?" Fíli asked.

Both Bilbo and Thorin jolted violently; Thorin hit his knee on the table and Bilbo nearly dropped the loaf of bread he had made.

"Aye, I do think so." Kíli snickered, "We should go, I know what normally follows a lovers' spat."

"Kíli!" Bilbo exclaimed, aghast.

"A gross exaggeration." Thorin declared, clearing his throat and turning his head away slightly to hide his blush, "I would never bed someone of such a low stature."

"How pretentious of you." Bilbo glared, offended.

"We jest!" Fíli declared with a laugh and took a seat next to Thorin. Food pilled on the table more so than usual. The smell was as divine as ever and it seemed that Bilbo had finally outdone himself. "This seems heavenly, Master Baggins."

"Thank you." Bilbo said promptly with a brief nod, "I'm afraid there won't be any pork to accompany all of this thanks to your uncle."

Thorin groaned in irritation but said nothing.

"I think this'll be more than enough, Master Baggins." Fíli smiled politely, "I don't believe we'll manage to finish all of this just the four of us."

"Speak for yourselves!" Kíli laughed and took his typical seat at the table, "This doesn't even compare to a typical Hobbit breakfast!" he turned to Bilbo and asked: "Had a late start?"

"Yes." Bilbo said with an icy smile, "You have your glorious Majesty I-don't-understand-how-the-sink-works, the King, to blame for that as well."

"They're different in Erebor." Thorin defended.

"I'm sorry, I was unaware turning a nob was complex." Bilbo said and brought a bowl of grapes and a fresh loaf of lemon bread to the table. He turned to Fíli and Kíli with a smile and said: "Eat to your fill."

They ate and though the atmosphere was partially tense, Kíli did rather enjoy himself. He thought it was quite funny a Hobbit such as Bilbo had the guts to stand up to a powerful King and shamelessly call him out on his mistakes. Fíli seemed to be of the same mindset whereas Thorin was greatly flustered. However, he never yelled at Bilbo.

When they finished, Bilbo forced Thorin to help him clean the dishes while Kíli took out Bilbo's pipe and weed and went outside with Fíli for a smoke. The action was essentially he and Bilbo's tradition. Whenever they would finish breakfast, they would smoke a bit of Old Toby's outside before coming back in and preparing for Second Breakfast. Kíli savoured the moment as much as he could this time knowing that it could easily be the last or simply a long time before the next opportunity would arise.

"Are we leaving today?" Kíli asked, blowing out smoke from his mouth and passing the pipe to Fíli.

"I think so." Fíli said. His eyes widened in delight when he tried the pipe weed, "This is really good."

"You won't get anything better than Old Toby's, ever." Kíli grinned, "Anyways, I thought I heard Thorin say we would leave in the morning."

"I feel like the reason we haven't left yet is your brother, Master Baggins." Fíli grinned and passed the pipe back to Kíli.

"You think he really fancies him?" Kíli asked, surprised.

"In all honesty I think he's very much the type Uncle likes." Fíli smiled, "However, I don't think love is the reason we're still here. At least, not that kind of love. I think Master Baggins is stalling."

"That sounds like something he would do." Kíli chuckled softly. His smile dropped after a brief moment of silence, "I'll miss him."

"The same way he'll miss you, I'm sure." Fíli said. "You could always ask him to tag along."

"I don't think Bilbo will abandon the Shire for a kingdom within a mountain." Kíli laughed, "He's far too much in love with the Shire."

"Remember what I said?" Fíli reminded, taking the handed pipe to him again, "Come to Erebor and see the place for a short while and if you don't wish to stay, you can go home. Bilbo can do the same except he'll have an easier time leaving than you."

"I suppose it'll be like the journey we had initially planned." Kíli reckoned.

"You planned to visit Erebor?" Fíli asked and took a puff.

"Yeah," Kíli confirmed, "We meant to start by going to Moria—" barely had Kíli finished saying the name of the lost Dwarf Kingdom did Fíli choke on the recently inhaled smoke and coughed violently. Kíli helpfully patted him on the back, "We weren't going to go in…"

"Still a terrible idea." Fíli wheezed. "I'm glad we got to you first then. You likely would have been killed on your insane journey."

"I just wanted to see the ruins…" Kíli mumbled.

"I'm sure." Fíli laughed, "But the Orc infestation spans beyond Moria's walls. You would likely have been intercepted on the road and killed on sight or taken as a prisoner and eaten later."

"Well…" Kíli huffed. "Glad that never happened."

They smoked for a while longer before retreating back into Bag End. By then not only had the dishes been cleaned but Bilbo had suddenly forced Thorin into helping him prepare for Second Breakfast so as to make amends for the burnt pork. Thorin wore an apron that was clearly too small for him and grumbled angrily as he peeled potatoes. One could vaguely make out complaints on how he was a King and shouldn't be forced to do such a thing.

"Back already?" Bilbo asked, "You'll have to help for Second Breakfast then."

"How much do you Hobbits eat?" Fíli asked in astonishment.

"I was wondering the same thing." Thorin grumbled in his corner.

Kíli shifted awkwardly at the kitchen's entrance. He was trying to find the courage and the words to make a proposition with Thorin but as it was he was struggling to figure out how to address him. Fíli called him "uncle". Fíli was his brother. Did that mean Kíli should also call him "uncle"? The Dwarves of the company called him "Thorin" but they were all close to him and Kíli had only met the man the day before. Should he call him "My Lord" or "My King"? Again, he had only met him the day before and though they were family, they were still strangers.

"What is it, Kíli?" Bilbo asked before Kíli could decide on how to address Thorin.

Thorin looked up from his position in the kitchen and Kíli knew then it was too late to brush it off. He took his courage in both hands and took a step towards Thorin, "T-Thorin," He stuttered clumsily and unsurely. When Thorin simply waited for him to continue without showing anger or offence, Kíli proceeded, "I would like to make a proposition."

Thorin put down his knife and potato, wiping his hands on the apron before giving Kíli all of his undivided attention. "Speak."

"I would like for Bilbo to come with us to Erebor." Kíli said.

"That isn't much of a proposition." Fíli teased.

Thorin took a moment to answer. It was clear he didn't want to say no so bluntly. "Master Baggins doesn't have much of a place in Erebor." Thorin explained, "He—"

"I didn't know tourists were forbidden to break Erebor's walls." Bilbo said sharply and Thorin sighed in frustration audibly.

"They're not—" he tried but Bilbo cut him off before he could elaborate.

"Wonderful." He said, "Then I'll be tagging along."

"We don't have enough resources." Thorin claimed.

"Kíli and I were meant to go on a journey in a few days, we can just take a portion of what he already prepared." Bilbo said smoothly, "In any case, had this solution not been an option, I'm sure a wealthy King who had previously offered to repay the damages made by his kin would have no trouble purchasing an extra pony."

Thorin didn't say anything and instead returned to begrudgingly keep peeling his potatoes. Bilbo smiled and huffed victoriously, returning to the pudding he had been making. "We'll leave you behind if you slow us down." Thorin said.

"I wouldn't expect anything less." Bilbo responded.

Fíli and Kíli exchanged glances. "This is going to be amusing."


	7. Avant-goût

Organising the commodities for Bilbo took longer than expected. Seeing as the King of Erebor couldn't be away from his kingdom for so long and refused to part without his newly found nephew, the group of Dwarves separated in two. Balin lead the first half of Dwarves as Thorin's most valued councillor and representative who would guide the kingdom until his return. With him Bombur, Bofur, Gloín, Bifur, Dori and Nori would follow. Seeing as the cook would be absent, Thorin charged Bilbo with the task of feeding the rest of the company whenever they stopped to rest or to set camp for the night.

Three days later than Thorin would have liked, they were on their way. It was hard for both Kíli and Bilbo to say goodbye to the Shire. Bilbo would undoubtedly return – it was his home after all – but as far as Kíli was concerned, this was the last time he would see the plush green hills, the bright blue sky and the friendly faces of neighbouring Hobbits. To his surprise, a lot of Hobbits found themselves on the road headed to the East to bid adieu to Kíli. Their thoughtfulness almost made him cry and he wasn't a particularly emotional person.

Thus the journey began. Kíli and Bilbo traded the landscape of the Shire for sceneries of plains, mountains and dense, eerie forests. It was as beautiful as it was terrifying. They took in as much as they could as they passed by at a leisurely pace on their ponies. Fíli trotted next to them when he could and when the path got too narrow he guided his pony ahead though not by too much so as to keep chatting. The blonde prince talked about a many great deal of things.

He initially began by describing Erebor to Bilbo, highlighting things he thought the Hobbit might enjoy. Kíli noticed how Thorin would strain his ear and occasionally glance back to catch pieces of Bilbo's reactions. It was something he would have to tell Fíli later.

"I noticed you were a fan of geography." Fíli said.

"Aye," Bilbo confirmed, "I do love studying other places. Never felt the need to go, though. I travelled perfectly fine through words up until this point."

"When we get to Erebor I'll have to show you our great murals." Fíli said. "In the palace, we have a huge wall on which a map of the world was carved and decorated with precious gems. It's quite beautiful and actually far more detailed than any of the maps I found in your home. I think you'll enjoy it."

"It sounds like I would." Bilbo smiled and Kíli was happy to see the two of them getting along.

He liked Fíli and he was glad his brother felt the same.

"Have you been introduced to Ori?" Fíli asked.

"I haven't really been introduced to anyone." Bilbo admitted.

"Neither have I." Kíli chimed.

"Well, we'll start with Ori." Fíli said and turned to the front and called out to a short and timid Dwarf who had his nose buried in a book, "Ori!" he looked up and back at Fíli, "Come here!"

Ori seemed visibly distressed by the request but nonetheless complied. He slipped his book in the bag attached on his saddle's left side and guided his pony to them. They walked four of large now that the path was wide enough for it.

"You're not going to make me do anything to make King Thorin mad, are you?" Ori whispered wearily.

Fíli laughed brightly, "Not this time." he leaned back a bit to allow Kíli and Bilbo to look at the Dwarf with greater ease as he formally introduced them, "Ori, this is Kíli and Bilbo." He said and then turned to the others, "Kíli and Bilbo, meet Ori. He's the royal family's personal historian."

"It's a pleasure to meet you." Bilbo said with a soft smile.

"What he said." Kíli grinned.

"Likewise." Ori said kindly.

"I was thinking you'd like to discuss some things with Bilbo." Fíli said, "I know how much you love geography and, fortunately for you, Bilbo here might be more suited to indulge you on the topic than anyone else."

Ori raised an eyebrow, "Really?" he asked.

"Did you not see all the maps and books messily lying around?" Kíli laughed.

"No, I'm afraid." Ori said sheepishly, "The only time I was in your home was when we first arrived looking for Kíli. At the time I was too tense and nervous to take in my surroundings. I reckon I should have though, the details might have been worthy of being noted down for the History books."

"I don't think it matters that much." Fíli chuckled, "No one will care about the colours the walls or how many books, chairs and tables were in each room."

"This'll be recorded in History?" Kíli asked curiously.

"Of course." Ori said, "This is an important moment in the History of Erebor. The exiled Prince is finally returning home, where he belongs."

Bilbo soured at the declaration and Kíli felt pressured by it. He remembered how Fíli told him he had the option to leave if he didn't like Erebor but the way Ori spoke about his return, he felt as though he might have been fed a lie.

Regardless, the moment of temporary awkwardness washed over quickly and the chatting returned to something pleasurable and enjoyable. They learned more about Ori and how he was. By consequence, they learned about his brothers Dori and Nori. Dori was the oldest and a member of parliament. He was part of the group which served the represent the people. Nori, on the other hand, had a far more obscure job. His position was best described as the King's left hand. He was the man who typically operated in the shadows to keep peace by doing things some would deem morally wrong or against the law. Whatever he did, Ori assured was for the betterment of the people before that of the royal family's.

Speaking of Ori, he was given the job of royal Historian because of his brothers. Like many other parliament members, Dori suggested his sibling for the role but Thorin only agreed to it upon making Nori his left hand and hearing the latter's same request. Dori then brought the manuscript for something Ori had written a while ago to prove his skill in writing at which point Thorin found no reason to refuse or hesitate any longer.

Before their life with Thorin, the brothers had lived a far different life. Ori said they lived in one of the worst states of poverty because of the rule of the previous King. He hadn't said much about what King Thrór had done but from his tone of voice and bitter stare, Kíli could only assume it was anything but good. At that time, Dori worked as many jobs as he could and Nori stole when their older brother couldn't make end's meet. Ori was too young to work but he remembered the many nights both of his brothers neglected to eat in favour of maintaining his health. When things got better for them, neither Dori nor Nori had been able to shake their mother hen ways and though sometimes it weighed on Ori, he never complained. He didn't feel like he had the right to. His brothers had given him so much to their own expenses, all Ori could and would do was voice his gratitude.

The group stopped once around noon to eat. Bilbo made them sandwiches with the bread they had and would have made plenty more side dishes to accompany it had Thorin not intervened. He told Bilbo not to waste all of their food so quickly because none of them could eat like Hobbits. Bilbo scowled and begrudgingly agreed with the imposed instructions. It was needless to say that Thorin's sandwich wasn't as beautifully made or likely as good as that of anyone else's.

The ride then on was rather enjoyable. Bilbo rode ahead of Fíli and Kíli to chat with Ori. The two Dwarf princes could hear them bickering and debating on things related to History. It was nice to see Bilbo getting along with people. Kíli knew his brother to be such a recluse and he wasn't sure he would be open to talking with any of the other Dwarves what with the way he spoke to Thorin. At the time, it seemed like he wouldn't even make an effort.

"So how are you enjoying your trip so far?" Fíli asked with a grin.

"You're asking me now?" Kíli laughed, "We're barely six hours into it."

"Well you've had an _avant-goût_ of what is to come." Fíli said, "Does this seem like it will be as fun as you thought or no?"

Kíli contemplated the question and looked back at Bilbo. He and Ori laughed, shaking hands as though making peace in regards to their previously heated conversation. Kíli smiled at that and noticed again how Thorin glanced back at him curiously. "I think…" he said, "I think this will be fun."

Fíli laughed, "Great!" he grinned and clapped his hands together, "So tell me, did you notice—"

"Thorin?" Kíli grinned, "How could I not?"

"You know this begs meddling, don't you?" Fíli smirked, "I'd say Master Baggins deserves it."

"Hold on." Kíli said and he wasn't sure how to feel about the last statement, "What do you mean?"

"I didn't mean to offend or anything." Fíli defended quickly, "Don't get me wrong, I love seeing someone stand up to uncle so boldly. I'm just saying Master Baggins has been a bit harsh with him."

"I guess you're right…" Kíli hummed in tentative agreement. "How do you expect we go about it?"

"We do it like in those romance novels." Fíli grinned, "When Master Baggins or uncle leave to bathe, we send the other in the same direction for an entirely different reason and we watch the magic unfold."

Kíli couldn't help but smile upon imagining the given event. "Bilbo would be so flustered."

"Uncle also always puts someone in charge of guarding the ponies at night." Fíli said, "So when Master Baggins gets tasked with the job, we can tell Uncle he's in danger and needs immediate rescue from Mountain Trolls or something."

"Mountain Trolls!" Kíli laughed loudly, "That's golden!"

"Isn't it?" Fíli chuckled, "It's a bit farfetched but I think we can pull it off. Imagining both of their expressions in such a situation would also be glorious."

"You know," Kíli said, "Bilbo never encouraged me to be mischievous."

"Master Baggins is the good brother," Fíli said with a devious smile, "I'm the rambunctious little Troll ready for a good laugh at a moment's notice."

"I do honestly believe this will be far more enjoyable than I thought." Kíli chuckled, and how excited he was for nightfall to come.


End file.
